Students Serve on Navajo Reservation for Fourth Time

James Shim, January 17, 2014

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Twenty-two students from Pacific Union College spent a week
of their winter break serving and providing aid for a Navajo community located
near Page, Ariz. This was the fourth time PUC students have made an impact on
the Navajo reservation, all in cooperation with Project Pueblo, a student-led
volunteer organization.

PUC students Clifford Young and Dominic Hwang led the
December 13-21 trip. Ben Speegle, a 2013 PUC grad who now works in PUC’s
Service, Justice, and Missions Office, and Tom Turner, professor of visual
arts, went along as sponsors.

This year’s mission trip wasn’t just a return to the Navajo
nation, but also to the local Seventh-day Adventist church, where PUC students
have served since a renovation project began. “We helped a local missionary
family with some of their tasks as well as assisting a Navajo family develop
their property,” Speegle added.

“These mission trips allow us to really give back and serve
an impoverished area,” said student leader Clifford Young. “Many of the things
we take for granted these people struggle with. It’s nice to see fellow
students act selflessly and sacrifice their own time to give back.”

From simple tasks like helping rebuild a community center to
assisting a man with a home renovation, the team was kept busy throughout the weeklong
trip. “I really helped building a Hogan, which is a traditional Native American
house, out of tires and dirt,” described sophomore Byron Lee. “Although we
didn’t finish, it was definitely a new experience and one worthwhile because I
was able to help out and see the contribution of the team.”

At the conclusion of the trip the missionary team surprised
the man in charge of maintenance at the Adventist church and community center
with the gift of a chainsaw. Dale, the maintenance man, cuts down trees in
order to get firewood, and the chainsaw will make this process much faster and
easier.

The Project Pueblo mission trip also gave students the
opportunity to appreciate the beautiful landscape surrounding Page, such as
Antelope Canyon, which is known for distinct geological formations. “You can’t
really describe the beauty of it,” sophomore Daniel Yang said of the rocks in
the canyon. “The beauty of the rocks lies in their smooth edges and the
interesting flow and curvature.”

Project Pueblo is another great example of the many mission
trips and service opportunities available to the Pacific Union College
community. These return trips to the Navajo nation are the continuation of
wonderful relationships students have built with those outside of the local
community.